title: Empyema thoracis in children: a short term outcome study.
abstract: This study prospectively evaluates clinical course of pyogenic empyema thoracis in 25 children (2 mo to 12 y) treated with injectable antibiotics and chest tube drainage, and followed for 6 weeks. The median (range) age at presentation was 3 y (4 mo to 11 y). The pleural fluid culture was positive in 24% of patients. Staphylococcus aureus was the most commonly isolated organism. The median (range) duration of injectable antibiotics was 14(14-52) d; median duration of total antibiotics (injectable and oral) was 4 weeks. The median (range) duration of chest tube insertion and hospital stay was 8(5-45) and 14(14-56) days, respectively. All patients were discharged without any surgical intervention besides chest tube drainage. At discharge, pleural thickening was present in 84% and crowding of ribs was seen in 60% of the subjects on radiological examination. All these patients were asymptomatic at discharge. Chest deformity was present in 20% of the patients at 6-weeks follow up. Antibiotics and chest tube drainage is an effective method of treating pyogenic empyema thoracis in children in resource-poor settings.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics, *Pediatric surgery, and #Radiodiagnosis, Maulana Azad Medical College and associated Hospitals, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India. Correspondence to: Dr GR Sethi, Director Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi 110 002, India. grsethi56@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Anil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Gulshan Rai
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Sethi
authors.forename: Mukta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mantan
authors.forename: Satish Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Aggarwal
authors.forename: Anju
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garg
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016724:Empyema, Pleural / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome